Investigating the Sweeping Influence in the Shadows at DHS

Transparency laws exist for a reason: When powerful operatives are allowed to wield government authority behind closed doors, public trust is undermined and accountability erodes.

Inquiriespress@americanoversight.org

In a week marked by multiple acts of heinous violence, it is important to underscore that political violence has no place in our democracy. A democracy cannot fulfill its promises unless all people are protected and safe enough to make their voices heard.

Our work continues, fighting for government accountability and transparency. American Oversight sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for failing to release records that could answer numerous questions about Corey Lewandowski’s shadowy role at the agency. Despite being described as DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s “de facto chief of staff,” Lewandowski has evaded basic transparency and oversight requirements while reportedly exercising sweeping influence over policy, contracts, and personnel decisions.

The secrecy around Lewandowski’s role in the Trump administration — including his apparent misuse of the Special Government Employee designation that is intended for individuals who provide temporary, limited service to the government — reflects the administration’s broader hostility toward transparency.

“At a time when DHS is waging war on American cities, its refusal to provide basic transparency poses an increasing threat to the public’s right to know and our democracy,” said our executive director Chioma Chukwu. “Transparency laws exist for a reason: When powerful operatives like Lewandowski are allowed to wield government authority behind closed doors, public trust is undermined and accountability erodes.”

Our lawsuit follows months of stonewalling by DHS, which has failed to respond to multiple Freedom of Information Act requests seeking Lewandowski’s communications, calendars, and other records. DHS’s refusal to release records about his activities obscures whether he has exceeded the legal time limits on his appointment, avoided using government email to conduct official business, and directed agency business that may benefit his private associates.

Gender-Affirming Care in Texas

Late last month, we filed an amicus brief challenging a Texas Department of Family and Protective Services rule that mandates the provision of gender-affirming care must be investigated as child abuse, citing documents that show Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive targeting the parents and caregivers of transgender youth constituted a new rule.

The records make clear what Texas officials have denied in court — that Gov. Abbott’s directive was not symbolic, but a binding mandate that forced DFPS to change how it treats families and medical professionals. Texas law requires an open process. Instead, state officials imposed devastating changes in secret — leaving families at risk and the public in the dark.

Our brief urges the Texas Supreme Court to recognize Abbott’s directive as a new rule imposed without transparency or accountability in violation of state law, with harmful consequences for transgender youth and their families.

We filed amicus briefs supporting the families of transgender youth in Texas since 2022, as challenges to Abbott’s directive have moved through state courts.
Read more here about our investigation into the national rise in legislation targeting gender-affirming care.

Challenging HUD’s Invasive Data Collection Proposal

We recently submitted a public comment opposing a proposed change by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that would allow the agency to collect sensitive personal information — including date of birth, place of birth, and citizenship status — from individuals submitting Freedom of Information Act requests. We warned that this proposal could violate FOIA, chill requesters’ rights, and undermine transparency. HUD has offered no justification for this data collection, and the proposal is especially concerning in light of a recent agreement between HUD and the Department of Homeland Security around data sharing. We’ve formally asked HUD to confirm it will not require this information and will be closely monitoring how the agency responds.

On the Records

Politicizing Public Education in Oklahoma

Oklahoma education officials have injected Christianity into the state’s classrooms and curriculum. Some of the education policies appear to be attempts to raise Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters’ national profile. Records we obtained show the behind-the-scenes story of one such effort: the ploy to get a “Trump Bible” in Oklahoma classrooms.

In June 2024, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters sent a memo to all Oklahoma school districts ordering them to have a Bible in every fifth- through twelfth-grade classroom. The request for proposals (RFP) to suppliers for the Bibles contained requirements that were so specific only one Bible on the market fit the bill: the so-called “Trump Bible.” The RFP drew widespread criticism and the state Education Department and Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) amended the request to be broader. At the time, OMES stated that these alterations were merely “cost-effective amendments.”
Records we uncovered reveal the real story. In fact, OMES officials wrote in an email that the original RFP was “drafted narrowly and in a way that potentially restricts competition.” The documents also show that Walters approved the amended request before the search for a supplier was abruptly cancelled on Nov. 8, 2024, without a given reason. We also uncovered an August 2024 email exchange in which an Education Department employee asked an OMES official if the Bibles could be purchased with donated funds or by establishing a “charity” to avoid stirring “up [the] wrath of taxpayers who may not support this initiative.” In March, Walters launched a “Bibles for Oklahoma” campaign soliciting donations to purchase the so-called “Trump Bibles.”
Read more about what we’ve uncovered about the weaponization of public education in Oklahoma here.

Investigating the Sweeping Influence in the Shadows at DHS

Gender-Affirming Care in Texas

Challenging HUD’s Invasive Data Collection Proposal

On the Records

Politicizing Public Education in Oklahoma

Other Stories We’re Following

Trump Administration Accountability

Voting Rights

In the States

National News

Threats to Education

Civil Rights

Government Transparency and Public Records Law

Immigration